It's A Slayerful Life
by Willow Fireheart
Summary: Ginny has been feeling antsy ever since she returned to the Burrow for the holidays. One morning while trying to get some time alone she is kidnapped by a strange scruffy man. A man claiming that she has a destiny, that she is the Slayer!
1. Chapter 1 Kidnapped!

**It's A Slayerful Life.**

Spoilers- BTVS: Everything up to and including S7 Chosen

HP: Up to and including Order of the Phoenix.

Disclaimer- Not mine! Not mine! Stop interrogating me! I told you they don't belong to me!

Note- There seems to be this pattern I have of taking an idea that has been done before and putting my own spin on it (I hope), its fun!

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Ginny let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door to the Burrow with barely a squeak behind her. After she and Ron had accompanied Harry to the Ministry, her mother had decided that having Ron and Ginny living at the Order's Headquarters had given them ideas. This summer she had restricted them solely to the Burrow and at least one visit to Diagon Alley for their school supplies, something that had Ron and Ginny protesting loudly.

They were, however, allowed to have Harry and Hermione over during the last two weeks of summer holidays. Mrs. Weasley had been reluctant to leave Harry in the presence of his aunt and uncle and considering that both Harry and Hermione were underage she thought it would be better to have them in the Burrow where she could protect them then have them unprotected in the non-wizarding world. Not matter what Dumbledore said; Mrs. Weasley refused to believe that Harry would be treated properly at Privet Drive. He was always so thin and depressed when he arrived at the Burrow and after the year he had just endured the Weasleys didn't want Harry to have to spend all summer with the people he reluctantly called his relatives.

This summer Mrs. Weasley had taken a smaller role in the Order so she could spend more time at the Burrow with her two children that remained at home. Unfortunately this had meant that Ginny and Ron had felt smothered from the over attention. To make it worse Ginny had been feeling antsy for a few weeks now, it was like she had an itch under her skin that she couldn't scratch. Not matter how much she played one on one quidditch with Ron, no matter how many times she flew until the sun went down, she still felt like energy was vibrating under her skin. It was so bad that most nights she couldn't sleep, sometimes the dark made it worse; like there was something she should be doing, like there was something that drew her to the darkness.

It was making her restless, a couple of times she had almost thumped Ron or her father because they had startled her. She had even thrown a glass at Fred and George when they had set off one of their prototype fireworks just outside the kitchen; somehow she had managed to throw the glass so that it hit Fred on the nose then rebounded and hit George directly between the eyes.

Ginny shaded her eyes as she watched the sun rise; she had decided to start running morning and night. Hermione had suggested it when Ginny had owled her with her problem. Hermione had promised that she would look into it, though with her limited resources she didn't think she would find much until they returned to Hogwarts. She thought that maybe it was some previously unknown wizarding side effect to growth spurts; she theorized that it may affect witches and wizards in different ways. Much to Hermione's amusement Ginny had joked that maybe that's why Ron ate so much.

Ginny rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had settled in them. She shook out her long slender limbs, rolling her head as she put herself through an easy warm up routine Katie Bell had shown her. Ginny's eyes narrowed as she felt prickles dance down her spine; her head snapped up, her sharp eyes searching the bushes. "Fred, George, come out of there."

The warm breeze rustled through the leaves in the trees and a lone bird sung. Ginny peered into the dense bush, unable to see anyone. She exhaled heavily, finishing her warm up. Her eyes swept the surrounding area, reassuring herself that there was no one watching her. She bounced lightly on her toes and flipped her long braided hair behind her. She started to jog in a wide circle around the Burrow, keeping her breathing steady.

&&&&&

A dark scruffy man peered cautiously from around a tree, his crazed eyes watching the slender redhead as she quickly made her way around the strange looking house. A large demented grin permanently resided on his face, which was framed by his Einstein-esque hair. He looked down at the ring on his finger, he was glad he had worn it; it acted like an invisibility cloak. Her instincts were developing rapidly; she had sensed him even though he knew he had not made a sound to give himself away.

He pulled a dirty rag out of his pocket; coating it liberally with chloroform from a small bottle he had stashed in one of his various pockets. He and few colleagues had been lucky, they had been spared from the explosion that took the lives of the majority of the Watchers Council. God had spared them; he had spared them for a reason. They were to do his work; they were to do what was meant to be done. In the last decade the line had been perverted, it had been tainted. But now, now they had the chance to correct that. They were given the chance to return to the original goals, to fulfill the duty that they had sworn to.

Ezekiel crouched in preparation, visually tracking her as she looped around the house and came back towards the bushes in which he sheltered. He licked his lips as she drew closer and closer. His muscles tensed in anticipation. She was so close he could hear her steady puffs of breath. He lunged quickly out of the bushes, catching her by surprise. Before she could let out a cry of surprise he slapped the chloroform soaked rag over her mouth and nose, forcing her to inhale it.

Ezekiel grunted as the redhead struggled. Her flaying limbs struck out, hitting him around the head and legs, her struggles grew weak as the chloroform took effect. Her eyelids started to grow heavy. He let her slip out of his arms.

Ginny fell to the ground, blinking slowly. She stared up at the man that stood over her, her limbs heavy.

Ezekiel grinned down at her, kneeling to push a stray lock of hair out of her face. "You have been Chosen, my dear. You have a destiny. You have destiny and we are going to help you fulfill it. You are the Slayer."

"Wha…?" Ginny's throat was thick.

He put a finger to his lips. "Shh, sleep. We're going to take care of you; we're going to train you. Sleep, my Slayer, sleep."

"N-o, please."

Tears leaked uselessly from the sides of her eyes as darkness came to consume her.


	2. Chapter 2 Learning Slayer Lore

**It's A Slayerful Life!**

Disclaimer- Joss owns the Buff stuff, i.e. slayer lore, etc and J.K. owns the Potter verse and all that it entails.

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Chapter 2: Learning Slayer Lore

Ginny awoke with a jerk, gasping as she realized her hands were bound tightly behind her back. She blinked rapidly as she struggled to free her limbs, panic rising as the darkness refused to dissipate. Ginny stilled as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She shivered as a rush of air brushed past her ear.

"Now, Virginia dear. Don't struggle, you'll only hurt yourself." The voice was pleasant and calm, though it did little to soothe Ginny's ragged nerves.

Ginny drew herself up as much as she could while still having her hands and feet still tied to the chair. "What have you done to me? What do you want?"

The man chuckled. "Why, my girl, we haven't done a thing to you. We don't want anything from you but for you to do the duty you were destined to do. We're here to help you, to train you, to help you explore your potential to the fullest."

Ginny scowled. "If that's the case why did you tie me up? Why am I blindfolded? Why did you kidnap me away from my home?!" Ginny yelled, shocking herself as her fear transformed into anger.

"Because your family won't understand. They would just act as a hindrance. The Slayer always works alone, that is how it has been done since the dawn of time and that is how it shall be. We've been looking for you for a long time, Virginia. Your training should have been started many years ago. Hopefully your Slayer sense will facilitate your catching up."

"Why do you keep calling me the Slayer?" Ginny cried. "You have the wrong person. I'm not this Slayer person you're looking for. So if you would just let me go I'll go home and you can continue your search."

The man laughed again. "You don't understand, not yet. But you soon will and then you will accept that you are the Slayer and that it is your destiny."

Ginny started to pull on the bindings on her hands. "I'm destiny free, really. You've got the wrong girl, I don't even know what a Slayer is."

"The man took a deep breath. "This world is older than any of the human race know, and contrary to popular mythology, it did not start as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the earth, made it their home, their hell. In time they lost their purchase on this world and the way was made for mortal animals. For man. What remains of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magics, certain creatures.

"The books tell that the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed- infected by a demon soul. He bit another and another… and so they walked the earth. Feeding, killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to dies out and the Old Ones to return."

"What some one make you memorize that?" Ginny clenched her jaw. "I know the myth of the origin of the vampire."

There was a moment of silence. Ginny bit her lip, hoping that she hadn't pushed him too far.

"It is not a myth, it was what happened. As long as there have been vampires and demons, there has been the Slayer. One girl in the entire world, the Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to find them where they gather and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers."

"What?" Ginny squeaked. "You expect me to fight and kill vampires, alone!"

"Of course," the man replied. "You are the Slayer, it is your destiny, it is how it has been, how it shall always be."

Ginny gritted her teeth. "How the –hell- do you expect me to do that? Magic?"

"Of course not. You have strength, enhanced senses and skills that other mortals cannot even imagine. Your body knows what to do, Virginia. Your instincts drive you; you feel a connection to the night, to the dark. Your body wants to complete its duty."

Ginny blanched under the blindfold. She had gotten stronger lately. She had put it down to a growth spurt and her Quidditch training. It was the same with her reflexes, she had just explained it away to her training; but that excess energy, that feeling that she was forgetting something, that itch under her skin and above all that pull that she felt towards the night, like she belonged there, like she was a part of it. Quidditch training couldn't do that.

Ginny moaned. "Oh, Merlin no."

"You see, you are the Slayer. You are a warrior of the night." The satisfaction practically poured off his voice.

Ginny fought to control her breathing; the last thing she wanted to do was lose her head. Right, first things first, remove the blindfold; once she could see she could make a plan. "So I'm some warrior for the side of good, what are you? My sidekick?"

The voice snorted. "I am your Watcher. Watchers train their Slayers, guide them and record their accomplishments."

Ginny took a deep breath and held it, using the time to focus her thoughts. "So you're my mentor-type person? That's great, really. Perhaps you could remove the blindfold, maybe then I could see you and we could introduce ourselves all proper."

Mentally Ginny gaped at her behaviour, she never would have thought that she could control her emotions like this; show no fear to her captor. Okay, maybe she wasn't some meek, little girlie-girl before, her surviving the Chamber of Secrets and the battle at the Ministry had more than proven that; but she never thought herself possible of keeping so blasé during her kidnapping by a crazy man with an agenda. She had never heard of a Slayer before, maybe he was telling the truth, it would go a long way to describe all the changes in her lately. But then again maybe he was lying through his teeth and he was actually a servant for Voldemort and had captured her to punish Harry or here for all the damage that had been done to Voldemort's followers.

Ginny's nose twitched as a faint hint of dust and leather neared her. She breathed a large sigh of relief as the blindfold loosened and gradually fell away. Ginny blinked rapidly as the harsh light pierced her eyes.

"There's no need to thank me."

Ginny flushed slightly at the rebuke. "Thank you."

Ginny's eyes slowly adjusted to the light, allowing her to look around the room in which she was being held. Her eyes widened as she took in the dank room. It was obviously underground, with one small, barred window high up the wall. The walls were a dull gray cement, the door was a heavy metal, though it was starting to rust, and there was no interior handle. There was a simple iron-framed bed in one corner with a mattress and folded blankets and sheets on top. One the other side of the room there was a door ajar she leaned around and saw a basic bathroom, with no mirror. There was a small bookcase near the bed; it was filled with leather bound heavy tomes that reminded her of the bookshelves at Hogwarts.

A man stood before her, watching as she took in the room. Ginny recoiled as her eyes connected with his. She had never seen eyes like that before, they were filled with anticipation and glee, but even that couldn't mask the crazed look that she had glimpsed when he jumped her.

He combed a hand through his wild hair. "You may address me as Mr. Ezekiel."

Ginny swallowed a burst of shocked laughter. "Oh, may I?"

Ezekiel nodded, his large demented grin seeming to be a permanent fixture. "I insist upon it." He turned an object over and over in his hands.

The movement drew Ginny's eyes to it. She gasped, it was her wand. She had been hoping that they didn't know she had one; after all he had dismissed the idea of her using magic to kill vampires. She thought that once she was alone she might be to get her wand out of her pocket and undo the bindings before getting the hell out of this place and alerting the Ministry or the Order that some whackjob was going around kidnapping teenage girls to kill vampires, feeding them some cladtrap about mystical warriors with super powers. But without her wand… Merlin she had to get it back and pronto!

Ezekiel noticed how her eyes followed the movement of the stick in his hands. "This fell out of your pocket. I thought it very strange that you'd carry a stake, and such a pathetic one at that, when you didn't know that you were a Slayer."

Ginny shrugged as best she could while still having her hands tied behind her back and tried not to panic. "It's not a stake, it's just a stick. My brother gave it to me, he said it's magic." Ginny forced a strained laugh.

Ezekiel studied the wand. "Your brother lied to you, there is no magic here." Grin still in place he placed a hand at each end of the wand and snapped it in two.

Ginny watched, her eyes wide with horror, as the two halves of the wand and the unicorn hair that was its core fell to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes and Ginny blinked furiously, refusing to allow them to fall.

Ezekiel dusted his hands. "It wouldn't have made a good stake, the end has to come to a point, makes driving it into the vampire's heart easier." Ezekiel turned towards the door.

"Wait!" Ginny cried out. "Aren't you going to untie me first?"

Ezekiel placed his hand on the open door. "I don't think that would be very wise, do you? You're still distressed over your separation form your family. You don't see yet. You don't believe. But you will. Soon enough everything will become clear. Your first test is to remove yourself from a disadvantageous situation. I shall return in the morning."

He pulled the door shut behind him, the sound making Ginny wince as it echoed through the room. His heavy footsteps trailed down the hall.

Ginny bit her lip and let her head hang forward. Her breathing started to hitch. God, she just wanted to go home! She wanted to be back at the Burrow with Ron, rolling their eyes over their mother's worried fussing. Oh, Merlin! Her mother. She must be beside herself by now. Ginny raised her head and looked at the door, willing someone to suddenly break in. What she wouldn't give to see her father, or Bill, or Charlie break through that door. God, even Percy would have her doing a jaunty, joyous jig. Ginny stared at the door hoping, though she knew it was ridiculous, that someone would sweep in and rescue her. After a minute Ginny sighed, she knew that she couldn't expect Harry Potter to come crashing through the door to save her once again, that kind of thing only happened in books and those muggle 'moo-vees' that Hermione was always complaining about.

Ginny sniffed back tears that had started to fall during her inner monologue. "Okay, Ginny girl, get a grip on yourself. There's no one about to burst in and untie you. You have to get yourself out of this."

Ginny took a deep breath. Maybe is she moved her hands like this…

&&&&&

Hours later and Ginny had once again succumbed to tears, this time tears of pain and frustration. Hours of pulling and her wrists rubbing against the bindings on her hands and ankles had given her a seriously painful case of rope burn.

Ginny started to sob silently. She couldn't do this. She wasn't this strong Slayer that he thought she was. Ginny took a breath; it hitched as it clashed with a sob.

"All right, Ginny. One more time. The you can break down." She told herself. "Okay, one, two, three."

Ginny groaned as she reached deep inside herself and wrenched her wrists apart. There was a loud pop as Ginny's wrists came free. She brought her arms in front of her and stretched, crying out as her muscles screamed in protest over the sudden movement.

"Oww," Ginny commented as she looked at the inflamed area, wincing as the small cuts wept blood. "Okay, one down, two to go."

Freeing her feet only took a few moments; they had tied her to the chair with strips of plastic that could be pulled to be tightened. Having full use of her arms it only took Ginny minutes to maneuver the buckles so it would break and release her.

Ginny stumbled out of her chair, falling to her knees as blood suddenly rushed to her lower legs. She leant her head against the seat. She couldn't thank Merlin enough for getting her out of that chair.

A small cat flap on the bottom of the door opened, a food tray was slid into the room. The cat flap was bolted closed with a snap. Ginny pulled herself over to the door, her hand and feet tingling as her circulation returned. It wasn't until she saw the food that Ginny realized how hungry she was. She looked towards the small window, it was dark, but that didn't mean anything. For all she knew the window faced an alleyway and that part was in shade. Ginny fell upon the food, thinking as she chewed.

He had broken her wand, he had kidnapped her from an extremely well warded place and it was obvious that he was two Knuts short of a Galleon. Right, so she could just sit and wait while the Order organized a rescue or she could try and help from the inside.

Munching on a bread roll Ginny examined the door. It was hinged on the other side. And it was so large that she had no hope of trying to bust it down. Ginny's eyes fell on the lock and a familiar calculating look entered them.

&&&&&

Ginny leaned her head against the door; sweat making her hair stick to her face. She sat up and closed her eyes. 'Come on. Come on. You did this as a child.'

She focused on the lock, trying to draw on her magic without her wand. The bolt trembled; shaking as it slowly rose, causing Ginny to smile, and then fell with a quiet clang. Ginny thumped her palm against the door and gave a scream of frustration. She kicked the door.

"OPEN. YOU. STUPID. BLOODY. DOOR." Ginny yelled, punctuating each word with a kick.

"LET ME GO HOME! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!" Ginny cried. Her anger overwhelmed her. "YOU SICK BASTARDS, LET ME OUT. LET ME THE HELL OUT, YOU BERKS!"

Ginny pulled herself into the corner and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I just want to go home," she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3 Starting Training

**It's A** **Slayerful Life! **

Disclaimer- Joss owns the Buff stuff, i.e. slayer lore, etc and J.K. owns the Potter verse and all that it entails.  
Note- This chapter spans a large period of time. Each scene break xxx indicates that some time has past. Hopefully it shouldn't be too confusing.  
Note2- If you have any questions can you please leave your email address andI'l get back to you with an answer.  
xxx

Chapter 3: Starting Training

Ginny woke up with a start, and then sagged. It wasn't a dream. She was still in the cell of a room. Ginny leaned back against the wall. Her eyes and throat burned from crying all night. She had cried herself to sleep, hoping that when she awoke she would once again be back in her bed, surrounded by the posters, both muggle and magical, that adorned her walls, covering the old wallpaper. But that wasn't to be, she was still locked in the cell they called her room.

Ginny rubbed her sore, red eyes. They felt gritty from sleep and her crying jags.

Ginny looked towards the small window, there were bright rays of sunshine shining through the high, barred window.

'It's morning,' Ginny thought sadly. She stretched out her cramping legs, wincing as pangs of pain shot through her limbs. 'What am I going to do now?'

There was a dull thud as the heavy plastic of the cat flap hit the rusting metal of the door. Another tray was slid in, this time accompanied by a voice.

"Glad to hear you've stop that wailing," The voice was harsh and cruel; it was very deep, much deeper than Ezekiel's. "You should eat something, you're going to need your strength."

The man laughed cruelly.

There was something in his voice that made Ginny shiver, especially when he started to laugh. There were tones of malice in his voice that she hadn't thought a human possible of. Malice that Snape could never hope to emulate. Tones that Ginny hadn't heard since that night with Tom Riddle.

Heavy footsteps lead away from her cell.

Ginny crawled over to the tray and examined the food. She had been so hungry last night that she had forgotten to check the food. They could have given her anything and she had just eaten it without any thought.

Ginny scooped up a forkful of scrambled eggs and sniffed them. They smelt okay. Gingerly she put the fork into her mouth and chewed carefully. Tasted okay too. Ginny shrugged, they seemed to be fine.

Within minutes the tray was cleared of food, a lone apple core lying forlornly on the dirty plate. Ginny held out her hand and stared at it for a minute. It looked normal. No green spots, no boils, her eyesight wasn't blurring and she was still standing. In fact, if it hadn't been for the tight, aching stone in her stomach she would have been normal.

There was a light tap on the door.

"Virginia?" It was Ezekiel. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Oh, just peachy." What was this guy on? Pixie dust? How did he think she was feeling?

"I'm glad to hear it." He sounded positively delighted. "Perhaps then we can start your training?"

Ginny rubbed her arms. "My training? You want to start today?"

"Well," Ezekiel paused. "Perhaps you could begin your studies?"

Ginny looked over at the small bookcase filled with the heavy, leather bound tomes. She snorted. "I don't think so."

"Oh." Ezekiel seemed stumped by her response. "Perhaps tomorrow then? Your studies are an important part of your duty. A slayer's mind must be as toned and trained as her body."

Ginny crossed her arms, feeling snarky with this man, despite the shivers that the other induced. "Maybe tomorrow. Then again, I probably won't be here tomorrow. My family will find me. And they will hurt you and all your freaky friends for what you've done."

Ezekiel sighed. "Virginia, please understand. We do not wish to hurt you."

Ginny snorted again.

"What we do, we do for the good of mankind. Your family refused to let your Watcher train you from birth. They selfishly kept you with them; they hid you from your destiny. You are destined for great things, Virginia. The world needs you, now more than ever. There are things out there that you've never dreamed were real. Do not turn your back on your duties. The world needs you more than you'll ever know. This is something you need to realize. In the meantime, please study."

Ginny looked over at the small book case filled with heavy leather tomes. She rolled her eyes. Who did they think she was? Hermione?

"Study is an important aspect of a Slayer's training. The mind must be as toned and trained as the body."

Ginny sneered. "Thanks, but I think I'll wait right here for my family."

Ezekiel sighed. "They will not find you. For the sake of mankind I ask you, please forget them. Accept your destiny. Become the Slayer."

xxxxx

Ginny climbed up onto the mattress and wrapped her arms around her long legs. One silent tear trickled down her cheek as she looked out into the alley that the small window allowed a view of.

A week. One whole week she had been here. And her family still hadn't found her. Nobody knew where she was. They probably thought she had been kidnapped by Death Eaters. They didn't know it was these muggle loonies that had snatched her from the Burrow.

Ginny closed her eyes and furrowed her brow in concentration.

_Ron, Ron, Ron Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron. _

Come on, please.

_Ron, please. Help me. Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Mum, Dad, anyone. Please, find me. God, even Percy. Just someone. I can't stand being alone any more. _

xxxxx

It took her five more days before the threat of isolation induced madness made her pick up a book in desperation.

Whether it was the content or the fact that Ginny was starting to believe that her parents weren't coming for her, Ginny threw herself into her studies.

Ezekiel had been very pleased. Every morning he would stop by and they would have discussions. He would quiz her and she would ask him questions.

It wasn't that she forgot the Burrow, her family, and that he was the one that took her from them, it was more that Ezekiel was the one kind thing she had here. The three other men that had made themselves known to her at mealtimes sounded coarse and horrid, malicious creatures that enjoyed her near descent into madness and the fact that they had her at an advantage.

"So, what you're saying is that these demons can be killed by shattering the jewel in the centre of their forehead?" Ginny looked up from the page of her book to glance at the large door. "I suppose that makes sense. The jewel being in the position of the third eye and the demon's power being of a metaphysical nature, revealing that which isn't seen and the like."

Ezekiel chuckled. "Very good, Virginia. You have come a long way in such a short time."

Ginny looked down, even though she was the only one in the room. "It's been almost a month. I've been stuck in this room with nothing else to do."

Ezekiel sighed. "Yes, I am sorry about that. It's just… your reaction when you joined us. It has made the other Watchers concerned. They would prefer to err on the side of caution. They think that if they allow you out at such a time you will attempt to hurt us. I have told them you pose no danger to us. I was not wrong, was I, Virginia?"

Ginny sat up. "I wouldn't hurt you, Ezekiel. You were only doing what you thought was right." _But the others… that would be a different story. _

Ezekiel smiled at the door. "I told them."

Ginny sighed as she looked at the four walls that had been her life for the last month. "Ezekiel, please let me out."

"I will speak to the others. Perhaps you are ready to begin your physical training."

Ginny bit her lip. That wasn't quite what she was talking about. But out this room was out of the room, and she would welcome the change. Perhaps she could even find a way to contact the Order.

xxxxx

So much for getting out of the room.

"Eat."

Her dinner tray was pushed through the flap in the door and was pushed with such force that it slid across the floor until it hit the wall and came to a stop near her bed.

Ezekiel hadn't been to see her for days. The only contact she had with these people was the tray of food and drink that was pushed through the flap three times a day.

"Wait, can I get a few more pencils and a new notepad, please?"

"What for?" The voice was like honey over gravel. That meant it was Anthony.

Ezekiel had told her all about the other Watchers, which was probably why he hadn't been allowed to visit her for a week or so. Ginny couldn't remember, sometimes the days and nights blended in together.

They all used to be a part of something called the Watcher's Council, until someone blew it up and the group decided to take it upon themselves to continue training Slayers. There was Ezekiel, who really wasn't that bad, apart from the bad first impression. He really believed in the Slayer's mission. In the time that Ginny had come to know him she had come to feel pity for him. There was obviously something wrong with his brain, something that had been caused by, or exasperated by the explosion.

Then there was Anthony. He had been a field agent, so had Mathew and Luther. Luther had been the one that sent chills up her spine. Every time he spoke to her it was like being instantly transported back to that night in the Chamber. She couldn't figure out what their deal was. They wouldn't speak to her apart from what was necessary, but she got the feeling that their motives were nowhere as innocent as Ezekiel's were.

"Hey! I asked you a question! What do you need the pencils for?"

Ginny startled. "You want me to study without them? I could always open a vein so I have something to write with."

Anthony growled. "That attitude is not going to get you out of there faster, little girl. You want freedom, you gotta be nice."

Ginny grimaced. "Fine. I'm sorry. May I please have some more pencils and paper?"

Anthony sniffed. "I'll think about." He laughed then.

Ginny growled low in her throat as he walked away. "Pillock."

Ginny ignored the tray and turned back to her notebook. Hastily, she scratched out a message and folded the piece of paper into the shape of a bird. It was an old piece of magic, something students did in class to pass notes to their friends. Although it would have been easier for them, seeing as they had their wands and Ginny only had the wandless magic she was slowly developing.

Ginny held up the paper bird on the palm of her hand and blew on it lightly. "To the Burrow."

The paper bird lifted out of her hand, as if moved by a breeze in the still room. The bird gained a little more confidence and soared out the window, easily avoiding the bars. Ginny jumped off the bed and stood on the chair she had positioned beneath the window. She pressed her face to the bars, following the little flying bird.

Her heart sank as the paper bird ran out of puff and plummeted to the filthy ground below.

Dammed it! So close.

xxxxx

Once again Ginny found herself standing on the chair with her face pressed against bars.

"Please, please. Please, please."

The little bird sailed around the corner and into the sky.

"Yes!"

"What's going on in there?" Luther stomped up to her door.

"Nothing!" Ginny called out, quickly scrambling off the chair and onto the bed, dragging a book into her lap so it looked like she was studying. "Just found something."

A slot high in the door slid open and one muddy brown eye peered in at her.

Ginny held up the book in evidence. "See?"

Luther grunted. "Well, be quiet about it." He slid the slot shut.

Ginny fell back onto her bed and giggled. Finally it worked. Now all she had to do was wait.

xxx

end chapter


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